Nick Philippoussis had his bail dramatically raised to $US9.2 million, which will likely keep him in custody, after being charged with abusing two girls.
Philippoussis Sr, 68, a tennis coach, looked frail and confused when he was led into Vista's Superior Court, north of San Diego, in handcuffs, leg irons and a blue prison jumpsuit on Thursday.
At one point he peered through a small opening on the secure, partitioned defendants' box in the court, saw his son at the back of the public gallery, and smiled and waved.
Philippoussis Snr, a tennis coach living in San Diego, entered not guilty pleas to 14 counts including oral copulation and lewd acts on the girls.
"Shock is more like it," Philippoussis Sr's lawyer Ryan Tegnelia replied, when asked by a reporter if Mark was in disbelief of the allegations.
Philippoussis Sr faces a maximum life jail sentence if convicted.
Authorities said the girls were Philippoussis Sr's young tennis students.
He is accused of taking advantage of the parents' trust and abusing the girls for almost a year in different San Diego locations, including his car, home and a tennis complex.
Deputy district attorney Garret Wong said what Philippoussis Snr allegedly did to the girls was "a parents' worst nightmare".
Mr Tegnelia, however, said his client was innocent and would fight the charges.
Philippoussis' family, including Mark, were supporting him and understood "the serious nature of these charges".
"This caught everyone completely flat-footed," Mr Tegnelia said.
Sheriffs raided Philippoussis Sr's San Diego home on Tuesday and he has remained in custody in the city's downtown jail since.
He will likely remain in jail until his case is finalised, which could take more than a year, as Judge David Danielsen agreed to substantially raise the bail from $US2.5 million to $US9.2 million at the arraignment.
Prosecutors do not expect Philippoussis Snr to make the bail.
Mr Tegnelia said Mark Philippoussis has offered to provide any comfort for his father during his jail stay.
Philippoussis Snr, because of the charges against the girls, is being kept in protective custody in the jail that houses Mexican drug cartel members and other violent criminals.
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